2009 News Releases

EPA Awards $20 Million in Recovery Act Funding for Clean Diesel Finance Program

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced three recovery act grants totaling $20 million in funding for the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program. These recovery act grants will fund the purchase of new, cleaner or retrofitted vehicles and equipment, protecting air quality and creating and retaining jobs in three communities across the country. The program works to reduce premature deaths, asthma attacks and other respiratory ailments, lost work days, and many other health impacts every year.

"An investment in clean diesel is an investment in healthier communities. This recovery funding will help jumpstart clean diesel innovation to significantly reduce the enormous health burdens of asthma, birth defects, and other issues linked to dirty-burning fossil fuels – all while creating good jobs for American workers," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “This is part of the nationwide clean energy transition that is cleaning up the air we breathe and creating jobs all across America.”

The recovery act grants were awarded to the following organizations:

Houston-Galveston Area Council: $9 million for a revolving loan program to clean up trucks at the Port of Houston through replacements and retrofits using SmartWay-verified technologies.

Louisville Jefferson Metro County Government: $2 million for a revolving loan program to replace, repower or retrofit older construction, agricultural and other nonroad diesel equipment.

Overall, the recovery act allotted $300 million for the National Clean Diesel Campaign, $30 million of which will fund SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program grants.

President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on February 17, 2009 and directed that the recovery act funds be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability. To that end, the American people can see how every dollar is being invested at http://www.recovery.gov